A Beautiful Bittersweet
by shaadiaThePrincessOfWeird
Summary: A story can have a happy or sad ending. Sometimes, when they're both, victory is often bittersweet and the tears of war roll down past smiling lips. Drabbles with genres like the title suggests, but not cheesy angst or ridiculous dark. In-character A/H with some twisted plans for revenge, a bit of muttered humor, feasible plots and the sweet, sweet scent of grass and citrus.
1. Chapter 1: Adrift in Fours

**Author's Note;**

 **It looks like my all-humor Drabble series is hitting an astounding high in reviews and followers, and I can't thank you guys enough for that. Even if those are the most random, here-and-there, unplanned stories ever, you guys read it and so I'm going to keep updating.**

 **This is the counterpart of that series; except it's a total opposite, and although I can't resist sneaking in hilarity and ridiculous mockery into my fics, this one has exactly that and the genres suggested by the title. I'm not a fan of cheesy, romantic angst nor completely senseless dark stuff where everyone dies in the end, but these drabbles will contain believable versions of those genres, the same kind of humor you always expect from me, romance that'll be kept completely in character as well as plot snippets AND full plots.**

 **Also, my writing here with the dystopian theme is practice and promotion for a little something else, which I'm going to let you all in on later. However, this is for you, my fellow Fowl fanatics! Read on and enjoy!**

 **Chapter One: Adrift In Fours**

 _Takes place after the Time Paradox._

* * *

Artemis rarely had dreams that didn't make sense.

Of course dreams of his were occasionally pointless. Sometimes they'd include long-forgotten relatives, dreaded food items, and many a time would be revolving around certain adversaries faced in the past, but very rarely did they lack meaning. In his dreams, mutant penguins and possessed Teletubbies made sense. There would always be a plot, always a reason things were the way they were. A failed cloning experiment. A rip in the space-time continuum brought on by the latest misadventure. But rarely did they have none of these things.

No, he had woken up this time around at a pre-dawn hour, when his room was starting to transition from pitch black to dark grey, and despite the useless effort of every window in the walls to keep out the Autumn cold, his white nightshirt was soaked around the collar in odourless, oddly watery sweat.

Artemis muttered a few words to himself, sinking back slowly into the double pillows he'd just propped up. Tomorrow–actually, today was set to be a momentous occasion. The second ever large-scale launch of a Fowl Industries project. He had a lot of people to meet, and a few places to be, but the irate feeling in his stomach made thoughts of jet-lag seem insignificant and trivial in comparison.

He closed his eyes, but didn't lull himself to sleep. There'd be an alarm going off in an hour or so anyway. Suitcases to pack, places to be. The traditional Fowl thing without the undoubtedly thrilling factor of crime. Oddly enough, he didn't find himself smiling at this. He had reason to not think of it at all.

His eyes flickered to a tiny ring that lay at the foot of a lamp on the bedside table. Tiny, yet so important and something he would never forgive himself for losing.

 _Holly's area of Haven must be night by now._

Artemis straightened his back and glanced at the communicator once more.

 _Or no, maybe about ten. She might just be awake. She was last time._

He had to keep his hand from reaching out.

 _Now is not the time._

Yet he still inched forward.

 _Stop it!_

And he did, drawing his fingers in and his hand back, momentarily burying them under the cold white sheets. Drawing his focus away from the ring, his eyes settled on a cylinder of pens on his work desk. In the same cylinder was a triple-folded envelope and a sticker card. Well, the envelope was important. The sticker card was a present from Beckett.

Unable to bear the drifting any longer, Artemis snatched the ring off its spot and turned it, speakers up. Before he knew what he was doing, he had dialed the only contact on it and switched on the hologram projector. He had, to be perfectly honest, never regretted rigging her communicator so as to immediately activate hercamera the moment he switched his on. Once, when this had worked to her disadvantage, Artemis had been rewarded with the amusement of watching her yelp and toss a shampoo bottle at his hologram. This was before she'd known about the rigging.

The communicator rang for what was at least twelve seconds, and here Artemis began entertaining the notion of cutting the line, but the person on the other end did pick up. And her disheveled image appeared in front of him as soon as she did.

"D'Arvit, Mud Boy," muttered Holly, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Who's trying to kill you this time?"

Artemis allowed himself a grin. "You, right after you find out that nobody is trying to kill me."

Holly dropped the communicator beside her as she flopped down on her single bed again. Her auburn hair, now slightly longer than a crew cut but equally as messed, was clear proof of the fact that she'd just woken up from a very disturbed sleep. Possibly one that involved either a dangerous close-combat or an evil hairdresser. Her eyes were rather bleary, too, but just about enough to look annoyed at him.

"It's twelve o'clock, Artemis."

Artemis's grin faded. "Really? Then you must be out of Haven."

Holly huffed. "Retrieval. I'm actually in an LEP base in Europe right now. I thought I should drop by to say hello to my favourite Mud Men after, but it looks like one of them has managed to royally get on my nerves now, huh?"

The Mud Boy had the grace to pretend to look guilty. "How could I have known where you were?"

"Oh, I don't know. Couldn't you rig my locator instead of my camera next time?"

"Ah, that's an idea now."

Holly glared. "Aren't you going to go away and let me sleep?"

Artemis smirked. "Does it look like I'm about to yield?"

"D'Arvit to you, Fowl. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were stalking me. Rigging the camera _and_ calling me at this time. What's the matter? No good Mud Ladies out there?"

At this, Artemis was pretty much caught off guard and a slight tinge of colour crossed his features, but it lasted less than a second and he was soon back to his normal antagonizing self who just wanted to royally get on Holly's nerves.

"Perhaps I _am_ stalking you," he said mysteriously. "Check your mailbox when you get home."

Holly snorted a laugh. It was the best she could do in this mood. "When was the last time you talked to a girl?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Who isn't an elf," specified Holly, giving him a _look_. "And isn't some sort of colleague either."

"Let me think," said Artemis a little teasingly. "Well, there was this one pretty waitress at a recent café. She had done eyelash extensions, hair extension, wore coloured contacts and had done a spot of plastic surgery and laser treatment on her face and neck. I asked her for a de-shelled lagoon crab."

Holly held back a chuckle. "I _am_ the only girl you know, aren't I?"

"Unfortunately, the role of forcing me into relationships has already been taken by mother, so I'd rather leave the conversation than continue it."

A slight yawn escaped the elf's lips. She could look extremely... _cute_ at times, despite being very capable of breaking every bone in an ordinary human's body.

Artemis caught himself.

 _What am I thinking?_

"I think I'm going back to sleep," mumbled Holly, the energy drained from her eyes. "Long field day tomorrow. I'll see if I can drop by, hm?"

Artemis smiled, but it was a little forced. Certain...less-than-necessary thoughts were adrift in his mind. Demons. Time tunnels. Rathdown Park...

"I would appreciate that." His throat felt suddenly dry. _Four_. "Holly."

The elf nodded, eyes now already half closed. "I'll see you soon."

 _Click_.

Artemis immediately pulled open the drawer on the bedside table and dropped the ring inside, soon recoiling back to his original position on the bed, before he'd called her, before he'd sat up. He knew he should be feeling fine. Lighthearted conversations with familiar people...especially those as familiar as Holly ideally shouldn't leave him feeling empty. But this one, however short-lived and insignificant, somehow did.

Artemis hurriedly opened the drawer and switched the ring back on. The call had lasted for seven minutes and...fifteen seconds. Five. That was good. Seven, he didn't know, but the number ended with a five. It was good. Holly was good. Five letters plus another five in her last name. She could be trusted, he could afford to think of her as...

He had to catch his train of thoughts again. No, he most definitely couldn't. Her name had ten characters. So what? What was the big deal?

 _Five will keep you alive_.

Exactly the kind of dream he'd just had.

 _Four, four is death. Five will keep you alive._

Artemis frowned at nothing in particular. Why did he suddenly care about those numbers?

 _I'll see you soon_.

Four.

 _It's twelve o'clock, Artemis._

Four.

 _D'Arvit to you, Fowl_.

There was something wrong here. Something that definitely went beyond a dream as a reason. Why had he started counting his words? Why had he started counting _hers_?

Artemis sunk back into his pillows, eyes adrift and lost once again. He didn't know anymore. Whether he could trust her, whether he could trust _anyone_.

 _Of course I saved you._

Five.

 _I couldn't do without you._

Five.

It was clear now. Clearer, at least. Despite everything, Artemis found a minuscule smile creeping to the corners of his lips. And he didn't say anything, but there was the tiniest voice in the back of his head demanding it be heard.

 _No,_ it screamed. _You can't trust her._

Artemis frowned. Surely it didn't have a point? How could he not trust Holly when everything they'd gone through so far had been...had been for the greater good?

 _In another time_.

Four.

Artemis took this as a cue to get out of bed and tear his curtains open, finding himself finally glad of the light and the beautiful, flawless rays of the dawn.

"I used to be afraid of the dark," muttered the boy. "Perhaps _fours_ and _fives_ is the fear coming back to me, except sounding a little less intelligent."

He shook his head and forced himself to look healthy. He had, after all, a very long day ahead of him.

 _Besides,_ Artemis determinedly made his way to his wardrobe. _I have no intention of viewing the world in fours and fives._

 **Author's Note;**

 **Am I the only one who noticed that Holly spoke to him in fives before the infamous Rathdown Park incident? Well, Nevermind! Leave me a review and suggestions of what you'd like to see next!**

 **~ The Princess of Weird :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Unconventional

**Author's Note; AAAAND it's back!**

 **May I first tell you all how AMAZING your reviews were for the first chapter? You guys are awesome. And it's because of all your support that I'm going to update this as much as possible even though I just started a new AF fanfic. (It's called Key to Ethos and is set six years after the Eternity Code. But worry not, I shall continue my other chapter fics as well)**

 **WARNING; This chapter contains a LOT of A/H. And it is exactly the reason this fic is rated T. You have been warned.**

 **Let's get on with it!**

 **\- the Princess of Weird :)**

 **•**

To Artemis, the painting told a story.

It was neither a very defined nor an especially detailed story; there were just plentiful opportunities to use one's imagination upon looking at the patterns and colours between the frames. Swirls of dark green and sea-blue spread across the canvas starting from the center, representing what was likely the artist's perception of the universe. Several spiral and dotted galaxies had been scattered with risky brushstrokes across a surface of well-fused colours, and it wasn't that he thought it was perfect; however, the artist had done a splendid job and without the use of the most fancy tools either. He knew this, of course, because the signature borne by the large painting belonged to Artemis Fowl the Second. The artwork was a masterpiece. Obviously.

He cleared up his makeshift workspace and put the kiddies brushes back where he'd found them. On any other day, Artemis would not have laid a finger on _junior_ art supplies, especially not ones with little kittens printed on them–but this was not his drawing room, and he had been bored. And the canvas was actually cleverly made from an old rag of curtain he'd just happened to find.

Artemis glanced up at the digital clock and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Late as usual. Holly really shouldn't make promises she couldn't keep.

After recovering enough of memories from his previous life to know that the People meant well, Artemis had decided he still wasn't quite satisfied with not being _completely_ his old self again; no genius didn't learn. He had lost a good six years' worth of knowledge and experience and he preferred having it _all_ back. Captain Short hadn't been allowed a longer stay on the surface, so he'd taken it upon himself to learn at her convenience. Holly didn't entirely mind his staying in the apartment adjoining hers so long as he didn't set the building of fire. It had been two days already, and Artemis found himself making steady progress. The more times he heard the story, the more intellect returned to him. And if there were two things Artemis Fowl would persistently go after, it was knowledge and of course gold.

Just as he propped the painting up against the wall, the doorbell rang and Artemis went to answer it.

" _Don't_ ," snapped an irate voice from behind him. The boy sighed.

"Alright, Juliet, it's most probably an assassin," he stepped back from the door in surrender. "If you will..?"

The girl muttered something about how Artemis was going to get himself killed one of these days, and opened the door carefully with her trusty revolver under her jacket. Butler hadn't found the idea of spending a week in an apartment for three-footers very appealing, thus the special request that his sister take over his job for just a week. Juliet wasn't the most disciplined, but he knew he could trust her.

There Holly Short stood, looking very tired and like the day's events had taken its toll on her. She raised an eyebrow at her. "Gee, nice welcoming."

Juliet shrugged, not looking very apologetic. "Sorry, fairy girl. Butler would kill me."

Holly laughed, stepping in. "Or you could use this wonderful thing called the keyhole."

"I don't trust keyholes," sighed Juliet. "I'm glad to be helping Butler and all, but these have got to be the most boring days of my life. Artemis doesn't even let me watch TV."

"You have earphones and a headset," countered the Mud Boy. "That wouldn't disturb me."

"Earphones should never be worn by a bodyguard," stated Juliet matter-of-factly. "Oh, to hell with it. He's all yours now, fairy girl. I'm just gonna go listen to something good." And with that, she strolled out of the lobby and back into her room.

As soon as they were alone, Holly turned to Artemis with her arms crossed.

"Alright, Fowl, what do we do with you now?"

Artemis showed her over to the tall bar chairs at the counter and sat himself down. It had been the height of luxury the city could afford–literally. At this height he could carry a proper conversation with an elf without having to crane his neck. He straightened his tie before starting to speak, though that was not before Holly noticed the painting.

"That's pretty."

Artemis blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"The painting," Holly pointed a finger. "I like the colours."

Artemis grinned slowly, unable to resist. "Holly, I assure you. There's more to painting a masterpiece than pretty _colours_."

The elf stretched her feet on the coffee table, and snorted. "I didn't exactly come here for an art lecture, Mud Boy. I haven't even showered. Showered!"

"You did promise to be punctual."

"Yes but–"

"But there was really no need to make a promise you couldn't keep," said Artemis, waving it off with a dismissive hand.

Holly rolled her eyes, but there was a grin in her voice. "Look who's talking," she reached over to punch him in the arm, and it hurt, but he didn't flinch. She the actually laughed.

"Alright, Mud Boy," said Holly, settling back down. "Where were we now? Oh yes, your Atlantis Complex. Not the fondest of memories to be recollecting but..."

"A necessary evil," supplied Artemis. Then, upon second thought he added, "Most necessary."

"Are you counting your words again?"

"I might be, Captain Short."

"D'Arvit, Artemis, the Complex was no joke," Holly gave him a serious look. "That was the most stressful period of my life. Do you have any idea how many times I just wanted to punch that Orion idiot in the face but _couldn't_ because you both shared the same face? Butler would have never forgiven me."

"I assumed the most stressful period would have been waiting for my resurrection."

Holly squinted at him. "Are you trying to do something, Artemis?"

"Excuse me?"

"Reminding me of the...the things _I_ don't want to remember," said Holly, completely unsure of her words. "Are you?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Well, it wasn't intentional."

Holly crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I'm sorry," he added helpfully.

The elf sighed, shaking her head. "It's fine. It's just... _Frond_ , you have no idea how much I worried. I thought...I thought you were gone for good, most days, but sometimes it just occurred to me that you're a genius, it's okay, your plan will work." She dropped her eyes closed. "Don't you _dare_ ever do that again."

Artemis didn't reply for the longest time, so she cracked an eye open and checked to see if he had suddenly got sucked back into Limbo or something.

"Speaking of the Complex," he murmured, gaze directed elsewhere. "I am still unable to hazard a guess as to where Orion came from."

"Guilt?" suggested Holly, sounding a little less hospitable. "Meddling with fairy magic? You had a lot of theories."

She may have been imagining it, but the Mud Boy's face flushed the slightest bit.

"Not that aspect."

"Oh _Frond,_ " groaned Holly, burying her face in her hands to cover her own colouring face. "Can we please _not_ go there?"

"I distinctly remember agreeing to talk about it at a later time."

The elf looked incredulous. "Really, Artemis? I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me tomorrow, and you plan to have this chat today? Really?"

Artemis adjusted his tie again, and on any ordinary person this would've been a sure sign of nervousness; it completely frustrated her that here _she_ was, running away from the topic, flustered, while the Irish genius managed to look _so calm_ and as if it was no big deal at all. Holding the winning cards as usual. The upper ground.

"In that case–"

"No," cut in Holly. "In the name of Haven, please get on with it. Say what you want. Ask me anything. Just...never bring this up after today, okay?"

Artemis nodded. "If that's what you want."

They spent a moment in not quite comfortable silence, which Holly was eventually the one to break with a loud sigh.

"Fine, tell me your theory or something."

Artemis did all he could not to raise an eyebrow at that, and Holly found herself mortally embarrassed for the second time. _D'Arvit._ She had asked the _wrong_ question. _The_ question. The very essence of this whole issue.

But he answered anyway. "My theory is that Orion's feelings towards you were merely exaggerated reflections of my own." Noticing Holly's twitching eyebrow, he added in good time, "That is to say, I didn't think of you as some sort of princess or damsel in distress, but I did posses some degree of concern where you were involved. You transitioned from my hostage to my best friend. There were obviously a great deal of emotions in the equation, which were enlarged and accentuated upon in Orion's character."

Holly wasn't even looking at him anymore. "In other words you _did_ have romantic feelings."

"Perhaps," admitted Artemis, his face flushing the slightest bit. "But like I said, everything displayed in Orion were hugely exaggerated versions of the truth."

"But there _is_ truth?" interjected Holly, her arms crossed, her scowl directed elsewhere. It was probably a good thing she wasn't looking at him.

"Holly, I was a hormornal teenager. It didn't mean anything."

The elf rolled her eyes, but finally looked directly at him. He noticed that her tanned complexion went quite well with the reddening colour of her cheeks. "I'm not interested in _then_ , Fowl, I'm asking about _now_."

Artemis coughed into a fist. This discussion was starting to enter unknown territory. "Now? Captain, there are still memories of the People that I haven't recollected–"

His speech was abruptly ended by a pair of lips, and a hand that then grabbed his tie and pulled him into the kiss. Artemis could only stare wide-eyed at his elfin counterpart, whose own eyes were tightly shut and whose complexion was beyond the deepest scarlet by now, before blinking, understanding the situation, closing his eyes and returning the kiss with unmasked uncertainty.

This seemed to be all Holly required to snap out of her own dream, because the moment he did that, her eyes shot open and she broke off violently.

"You...D'Arvit, Artemis," she banged a fist on the granite tabletop, immediately ripping her gaze from his. "I didn't think...I...what the hell is wrong with me?!"

Artemis decided on being rational. "Captain Short, it would be advisable to calm down."

" _Captain Short_?" snapped Holly, turning to face him. "We just...just D'Arvitting _kissed_ and you have no right to _Captain Short_ me! Don't lie about it. You don't remember me, or the People, or _anything–_ "

"Holly," said Artemis, a little urgently, placing a hand over hers. "Can we please be a little quiet?"

Holly scowled. "I hate you."

"Holly–"

He didn't get to finish that one either, because Holly was kissing him again. This time she growled against his lips, and it sounded almost threatening, but Artemis figured what she wanted. Silently willing Juliet not to rush into the lobby, he closed his eyes and, very slowly, very hesitantly, kissed her back.

"You're bad at this," mumbled the elf, breaking contact for a few seconds.

"You should have warned me," said the Mud Boy. "And I don't mean to annoy you further, but may I know exactly _why_ -"

Holly kissed him again, but this one was brief and she finally sat back down with an answer. "Because I thought you were dead for six months."

Artemis blinked, wondering how that solved anything. "Oh."

"Try taking my place the next time your best friend dies," elaborated the Captain.

"I did see you die," said Artemis, who hadn't entirely recovered from the multiple unexpected kisses. "At Limbo. It was painful, Holly."

"It didn't last six months," Holly sighed. She didn't say anything for a while, but eventually had to add," Er, hey, everything that happened just now–"

"I'll erase it from the surveillance, yes," his gaze drifted over to the plentiful possible places in which a certain centaur could have implanted camera bugs. "Although I can't assure you that Foaly hasn't already seen."

Holly's face turned red again, but it wasn't as bad as the last time. "But you _can_ erase it?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Then he won't have any proof even if he nags me for the rest of my existence." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Frond, I am _never_ kissing you again."

"Yet the last time you said that..."

"And this time I mean it," Holly deadpanned, fixing him with a look. "Good. Thanks to you bringing up Orion, we didn't make one bit of progress today."

Despite himself, Artemis couldn't help a smirk. "If your unconventional methods don't count, I don't know what does."

"Shut up."

"Leaving already?"

Holly was already halfway to the door. "I have a lot of paperwork scheduled for tomorrow," she muttered. "Tell Juliet I said goodnight."

Artemis caught up to her before she could turn the door handle. "Holly, before you leave."

The elf sighed. "Yeah?"

"I'd like to actually answer that question. About then and now."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "Is this an answer that's going to get your front teeth knocked out?"

"I'd hazard a guess I'd get them knocked out whatever I say."

"Genius," grinned Holly. "Goodnight, Mud Boy."

Artemis thought briefly, but no caustic retort came to him, so he simply replied as any ordinary person would.

"Goodnight, Holly."

••

Foaly had, indeed, been watching– and occasionally going into hysterics, even enjoying some butter popcorn as well as immediately after building a whole firewall around his new prized possession, a clip of the feed from Artemis's apartment– but this was all Artemis Fowl had expected.

He hadn't for a moment expected Juliet to have cameras of her own; and he had never bet his money on the clip being sent to Butler himself, along with a hundred odd LOL and kissy-face emojis.

Artemis Fowl the Second, foiled by a mundane and unimpressive human-made instant messaging application that hadn't even beaten WhatsApp on the charts.

Yes, he was defenitely getting old.

•


	3. Chapter 3: If Limbo Is Real

**A/N; This is gonna be a short one, but rest assured there ARE a few interesting plots coming up in this Drabble series...Also, I'm taking requests for angst/dark drabbles with or without romance to add over here:) Please feel free to tell me in your reviews. If you want a humour Drabble, you can request one in the comments of my OTHER Drabble series, which is mainly focused on having fun with the most unexpected, improbable situations ever *cracks wicked grin*. I'll be more than happy to write it for you.**

 **On with this thing, then! :D**

—/••

 **Chapter Three: If Limbo is real**

It was a bodyguard's duty to ensure that, even if and when the world exploded, the principal would remain safe and alive.

Had he failed in that duty?

Had he allowed for his principal to die a hero, but _die_ nevertheless?

He couldn't forgive himself. And he never would.

Butler felt the space of the hospital corridor crammed around his massive frame; it was a wonder the chair held, or that it had been able to accommodate him at all. The old gent on the other chair seemed to be thinking the same thing, albeit with a little bit of fright, and although Butler made an _attempt_ to not look like a threat, the poor guy forgot all about the daughter he was waiting for and started silently praying for his own sake, that the intimidating man mountain beside him would not even do something on accident.

The manservant sighed and let himself get lost in his thoughts again.

Artemis...had died a hero.

And Holly had gone with him. Butler mused numbly that at least he would've had a friend in those dire moments. Reminding him of the new person, the _good_ person he'd become. And it would have all been worth it had he died with a smile on his face. Butler would never know. Butler could only hope.

He'd always had a part of him that believed his charge was simply _gone_ , and not dead. Because gone tended to come back. Dead didn't.

He watched the clock on the white wall, breathed in the surgical scent and let his emotions introduce themselves.

 _Guilt._

 _Regret._

 _Sadness._

 _And if he's only gone...worry._

He couldn't forgive himself. He wouldn't.

The door of the room was pushed open from the inside, and the old gent seemed to forget all his fears and delightedly joined the nurse who called him. _It's a girl,_ thought Butler absently, having had picked up the conversation. No doubt the man was excited about his new granddaughter. Family meant everything. If you were lucky. If you weren't, then you were probably stuck in his line of work.

 _Personal protection is a cold business._

But he could rebuke that. To Butler, it had never been a _business._ It had become natural. Because Artemis Fowl was family.

What use was his loyalty, his protection in the end?

Butler felt a rare lump in his throat. What was coming next signified that he had to move on from the young mastermind...

The nurse, having had guided the old gent in through to his daughter's room, emerged into the corridor and met him, albeit a little nervously.

"Erhm, Mister Butler?"

Butler stood, glad to be out of the cramped chair even though he had to keep his neck bent against the ceiling. "All went well?" he inquired.

The nurse managed a wobbly smile. "Yes. Mrs Fowl would like you to see them."

The manservant blinked. "Them?"

"Twins, sir. It's wonderful."

Two heirs. The Fowl name now had two new heirs. And Artemis, if he was still out there, if the fabled Limbo was real, would no doubt be a tad jealous.

Butler smiled at the thought.

But he'd also be proud, wouldn't he? After all, his new little brothers were going to carry his legacy forward and into the world.

And it was a Butler's duty to ensure they survived.

He would never give up on Artemis. But they were family too, now.

–•/—

 **A/N; First time writing Butler's point of view. And letting you know that I am alive, and I WILL update my Chapter fics as soon as my exams are done with.**

 **Please tell me what you think of that attempt. Angst/mild romance/horror Drabble requests are being taken! Let me know in your reviews:)**

 **-Shaadia.**


	4. Chapter 4: Heal The Soul

**A/N; This sorta counts as a rewrite of my AEC contest fic, I suppose...? But with a few, eh, superficial twists, seeing as you all probably know that story. Also, I haven't put a lot of effort into recreating the first part of this chapter. Changed the dialogue and stuff because right now I don't have the books for reference, but I like the ending as it is. I think Colfer gave every Fowl Fan an opportunity to imagine on their own, end the series like they wanted. We have a lot of people putting their post-TLG ideas on FanFiction. Is Artemis half-fairy now? Does that give him a fairy's lifespan? Do the rest of the Fowls get to know about the people? And most importantly, does our favourite pairing get together? I think Colfer's ending was really good because he let us answer those questions on our own. Most authors make the decisions FOR us, and sometimes the fandom is disappointed. This way I don't think Mr Colfer could've disappointed anyone, even if some of us DID want a cannon A/H kiss at the end of the book.**

 **Soo...this is how I'd answer those questions. Sorta. I'd actually prefer another adventure happening afterwards, but with some time in between. Like when Arty's an adult. Anyone want to come up with a petition to send to Mr Colfer? I'm serious!**

 **Here we go, then, next chapter:)**

 **•**

 **Chapter Four: Heal the Soul**

And now she realized that she had wasted six months on false hope.

It had all been for nothing, and her tears held back stubbornly as her gaze surveyed the grounds of Fowl Manor, across the wet petals of the fiery roses that glinted in the early morning sun. What she did not do, however, was look at the lifeless clone before her; it was too painful a reminder of the time she had wasted on hoping and longing.

Slowly, eventually, surely, the tears came. Holly didn't even bother hiding them anymore. She hadn't cried on the first night of his death because of the strong belief that _this was not the end_. It couldn't have been. He had a plan, and he was a genius.

Holly distinctly heard Butler say something, addressing the lifeless clone; or was it Artemis? She couldn't be sure. She didn't want to look. Afraid of the disappointment she'd feel for the second time.

And then Butler's chest compressions took effect and the lifeless clone spluttered awake, sitting up with wide blue eyes that brimmed with _life_.

Holly was immediately by his side, testing his pulse. "Artemis? Are your senses functioning?"

The pale boy blinked at her several times. Recognition didn't register in his features; confusion, however, did.

"Stay back. You don't know what you're dealing with."

Holly did, indeed, stay back. In something akin to shock and a slow, foreboarding feeling of dread.

He looked at Butler for an explaination.

"Butler, I...where am I? Who are these people?"

The manservant frowned ever so slightly. "These are your friends. Holly and Foaly. Remember?"

Foaly bit his lower lip a little guiltily. "Ahh...about that..."

Holly looked up to glare at him. "Yes, centaur?"

"He's spent too long drifting around as a spirit. It's a miracle he remembers Butler, or even how to talk," the centaur scratched the back of his head. "In other words, thanks to his willpower, only some of his more recent memories would've been lost over the past six months."

"There's a way to get them back," Holly got to her feet. "Right, Foaly?"

Foaly sighed. "If we had a miracle and Aladdin's Genie and the seven Dragon Balls, then yes. I'm sorry, Holly. We could try, but the chances are few."

Artemis was looking at them confusedly. It was an expression that his face wore rarely.

"I have friends," he stated, glancing at Butler for confirmation. The bodyguard only nodded.

"Very well then, ah...Holly, Foaly," he made an effort to straighten the back of his new body. "Please fill me in on the memories I've lost."

"We need to get him indoors first," rumbled Butler. "It'll take time."

The bodyguard and the elf both looked at the centaur.

"Ugh, fine," muttered Foaly. "Just this once, I suppose."

And as Artemis Fowl rode on the back of what he had thought to be a mythical creature, Holly fulfilled his request about his memories. She started telling the story, and didn't stop. And all the while she watched his face for even one, just _one_ flicker of remembrance, for the old Artemis that had to be somewhere within the new one, the confused one who didn't have the memories that made him who he used to be.

•

Holly had pulled a few strings with relative ease, taking into account the fact that she had helped save the world yet again, and her surface visa was extended to a couple of more days. Some part of her decided it would be very annoying and feel very empty until she knew for sure that Artemis had regained his memories. _All_ of them. Preferably not excluding the painful punches she'd given him on multiple occasions and...well, her.

The elf ran her fingers along the pinned articles on one of the walls. _Memories_ , Artemis had once called them, upon her inquiring of _why_ the details from her kidnapping were still kept with him. He had been very sarcastic about it, but she could detect the trace of guilt in his voice. She breifly wondered how effective the articles would be in jogging his memory _now_.

A dull, eerie flicker emitted from one of the several wall-mounted screens. Some sort of circuit trouble. They'd gone untouched for all of six months. Butler had told her that once upon a time, the screens had been dedicated to a different news channel each, because young Artemis had dared to hope that one day they'd report the discovery of survivors from the _Fowl Star_ accident. The screens had been functioning twenty four hours every day. On their first meeting, Holly had thought of the boy as cold, heartless and completely profit-oriented...only to soon learn that she had been wrong. He was just a boy who missed his father. With enormous willpower and steely determination unnatural for his young age, but a child who wanted his parent back. She could still recollect how the revelation had melted her heart. They had that in common, at least.

Holly caught a glimpse of her face on one of the screens and absently felt the cheek under her left eye.

They had so much more in common now. At least she did, with the old Artemis.

The clone had another blue eye.

 _Damn, Foaly, why couldn't you at least keep that the way it was?_

Not to mention that the clone had six toes on one foot. Honestly.

Holly shook her head, a little more than irate. Now she thought of her best friend as a clone. Great. Just D'Arvitting fabulous. Maybe Foaly was right. Maybe things couldn't go back to the way they used to be...

"Holly, I have a few questions."

Holly spun around in alarm to face the voice that had come from nowhere, but the next instant she relaxed. How had she not heard him enter?

"Hey, Artemis."

Artemis gazed over at the blank screens, that reflected clearly in his crystal-like blue eyes. He was once again dressed in an immaculate black suit; he remembered that aspect of his previous life. Good.

"I believe our friend Foaly is mistaken in regards to my memory," he said, and his expressions revealed nothing. "I did a bit of research into the topic. There _are_ ways...or there will be, in another century, but I fear I do not have that long."

Holly smiled wanly. "You're the genius, Mud Boy. Please tell me you're gonna invent something?"

Artemis returned her smile, but continued staring ahead. "Not in my current state, no. And I prefer to remember my previous life as quickly as possible, because a look into my journals assure me that it was much better than this."

"That it was," agreed Holly, following his gaze to the empty screens, and the one that was short-circuiting. "What can I do to help?"

Artemis adjusted the plain red tie he wore. "I already know everything you've told me is the truth; my journals, in what is unmistakeably my encryption, confirms it all. There is a significant amount of magic going into the cloning procedure, correct?"

Holly looked surprised at the sudden question. "Well, yeah. Sorta. It's more like lab-magic, and No. 1 helped with yours despite it being completely illegal, so it really isn't my area of expertise."

"Magic went into reconstructing certain cells and tissues," Artemis pointed to his newly blue eye. "This used to be one of yours."

"Yeah. You miss it?"

"Unfortunately, it was an essential reconstruction, but there might've been a few mistakes."

Holly frowned a little. "What does that mean?"

"It means my eye colour isn't the only thing that's changed. I still have parts of your DNA, as it was probably difficult to extract, which means–" He brushed back a lock of thick black hair. "A little harder to explain than dichromatic eyes, isn't it?"

Holly gasped. And she didn't say anything. She couldn't. All she could do was gawk with an open mouth at the...the _pointed_ ear he had just revealed. It was a slight point, granted, but it was prominent. For a human. If he was even a human any more.

"You didn't wonder why the sides of my head were bandaged earlier?"

Holly felt her fingers curl into a fist. _Foaly!_

"I believe it was initially just one ear, but to even it out..."

"That centaur is going to get it," threatened Holly, scowling. "Oh, he's going to get it _right now_. Do you by any chance have video?"

Artemis couldn't hold back a chuckle. "We can see to that later. Like I was saying, about my memories..."

Holly groaned. "More bad news?"

"Good news, Holly. I just have to be healed one more time, with your magic."

The elf raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your magic is part of my DNA," said Artemis, as if he was explaining to a toddler how to spell CAT. "And as such, your magic flows through my very being. Just the right amount of sparks, and a reverse probe of sorts–I believe it would be a new technique, but I'm pretty certain it'll work–and you can give me the memories you want to give me. My brain will choose which ones to accept and remember, modify to make them my own."

"It's...that simple?"

"I don't believe the procedure is very simple, or has ever been tried before. But this is a new strain. I am a cloned human with fairy DNA, _your_ magic, running through my system, not to mention that we share certain memories. Your magic can force my brain to remember, to...say, _force_ them out of my soul. The one that was drifting around without a brain to store its memories in? That's why Foaly was surprised earlier that I had stored memories at _all_."

Holly coughed. "Okay. Are you sure this can't go wrong? Because _forcing_ something out of your soul doesn't sound like a good idea."

Artemis turned to face her fully. "I'm ready, Holly. Just be a little careful on the probe."

Holly held the sides of his head–being cautious about the now pointed ears–and, like she had done many time in the past, pressed her forehead to his. She moved them a little away from the circuiting screen before asking, "So...what am I supposed to heal again?"

"The soul," replied Artemis, and chuckled at his own joke. Holly rolled her eyes.

"Right. Brace yourself."

She closed her eyes and summoned her sparks. She'd just gone through the Ritual, so she knew that whatever she performed now with her magic would be at its best. The procedure still worried her, but she had enough experience to know that Artemis wouldn't ask if it wasn't possible to pull off.

She concentrated on those sparks and felt them skip from her forehead to his, generating something like a gentle electricity, and she felt it start to scan his mind. She had to turn this the other way around. Magic wasn't science; Holly knew all it took was a little bit of thought. So she reversed the probe, and instead of scanning his mind, it allowed him into hers. It felt like what they'd gone through in Hybras. Sharing thoughts. Well, he was only allowed the memories she was willing to give him; so she remembered the story. All of it. She left nothing out.

 _The kidnapping...the Arctic...the C-Cube..._

 _Koboi. Limbo. Spelltrophy._

 _Orion, that blithering idiot._

 _Berserkers. Your...plan. Death. Or the pain I felt._

Reverse probe, check. Remember these things, Artemis's soul? Force the memories out.

She concentrated even more sparks to connect with her own magic that was alive in his system, but she didn't know how to reach the soul. She hoped the other branch of her magic would, just like he had assured her.

She shut her eyes even tighter together, willing this risk to be worth it.

 _Come on, Artemis. Come back to us._

Her entire frame was trembling. This healing was draining her.

 _Come back to us._

She didn't see it, but his fingers had clutched tightly around the back of the oaken chair he leant on now as the nearest thing for support. This was obviously very painful. Holly clenched her teeth. Okay. Violent sparks coming. Very violent sparks coming.

The sparks didn't come from _her,_ per se. They actually radiated from her magic that was in him, nearly shocking her, but she found it had worked. It had worked, because both sets of sparks were calming down on their own now.

Holly shakily withdrew her forehead from his, though her hands still clasped the sides of his face. She managed to open her eyes. Artemis was breathing heavily, staring right at her.

"Did it..." she stuttered, finding that her heartbeat was skyrocketing. The magic cackled within her. "Did it work?"

Artemis continued to breathe in gasps until he found it in him to calm down somewhat, but he was still partially hyperventilating afterwards.

"A-Artemis?" Holly dared to hope.

"I remember," he breathed. "Holly, I...remember. Everything."

"Everything," echoed Holly, finding it difficult to calm her buzzing system down. She pressed her forehead to his again, felt the electric magic that still radiated from him. "Everything?"

Things couldn't go back to the way they used to be...but they could get better. Much better.

And as if Artemis wasn't already having trouble catching his breath, Holly shakily closed the distance between them. Her lips met his briefly, and for half a second she favoured the moment, feeling nothing but the fact that he was _back._ Artemis Fowl was finally _back._ And it felt so good just knowing this, just feeling his heartbeat throb with her magic, feeling his soft lips stiffen but then move subtly with hers, and for that half second everything was in place...but her heart skipped another beat and her eyes shot open at once.

"S-Sorry," she stammered, pushing off as quickly as she could, creating a much needed large gap between their faces and letting go of the sides dangerously close to his ears.

Artemis's face was flushed, but she couldn't tell if it was because of the violent healing or the quick kiss he had just begun to reciprocate. "That was...unexpected."

"Sorry," Holly crossed her arms in a vain attempt to calm down her unrestrained heartbeat. Now it had just doubled, and her own face was a suffering colour of scarlet. "You know how magic is...emotions and all..."

It would be wise not to finish that sentiment.

"It worked, right?" asked Holly, changing the subject.

"It worked," agreed Artemis, glad they weren't dwelling on the subject.

"Yeah," the elf smiled weakly. "I think I'll have to do the Ritual again."

"S-Seriously?" He had regained his breath. Sort of. Holly felt embarrassed that it would've happened faster if she hadn't done what she'd just done.

"Yeah. Pretty draining probe, Mud Boy."

A pause.

"So...how are we going to tell everyone that you can remember?"

"The truth," Artemis coughed. "Whyever not?"

"It's kinda..." Holly didn't even bother trying to hide her colouring cheeks. She was too tired. "Okay. But we leave out the kiss. Which was an accident. Just so you know."

Artemis coughed again, but it looked like, unlike her, he was trying to hide a change in complexion thus preserving his dignity. "Yes. Of course."

A momentary silence filled the snugly warm space of the study; with the heater on and the cold weather from outside blocked completely, it almost felt too nice for a place of plotting, of planning. The malfunctioning screen cackled once again, and it looked comically like a coughing fit, and the soft light from the tall stand-up office lamp cast an almost innocent shadow over Holly's face from the spot she now stood in. _Innocent_. A word never to be used on diminutive, strong-willed LEP females who were capable of snapping you in half, but to his intense mortification Artemis found himself absentmindedly watching said diminutive figure, accepting all the memories that had been forced into his brain.

Holly met his eyes for the umpteenth time.

They just looked at each other.

"Welcome back," said Holly eventually, a characteristic edge in her voice that didn't sound very innocent or very sweet; one which he nevertheless recognized as her sarcastic friendliness.

Artemis smirked. "I know."

"What makes you think I missed you, Fowl?"

Artemis waved it off easily, patronizing in a way that made Holly want to punch him. "Please, Captain, is that really a question to ask?"

Holly restrained this urge and thought about it. "No. It really isn't."

"Thought not," agreed Artemis, walking across the study so he could open the door for her. Very gentlemanly. Intended to get on her nerves with. "And between us, Captain Short, I'll admit that I missed you too."

Holly followed him, and snorted at that. "You didn't even remember me!"

"You were part of my soul, remember?"

The elf glowered at him. "Another _soul_ joke, Artemis, and I'll–"

"Kick me with your sole?"

Holly punched him harder than she had in over six months, and Artemis bit back a cry of pain to soon realize that it was going to leave a bruise.

Holly, on the other hand, flashed him a sweet smile before vanishing out the door, vengeance feeling good to her being. That was for getting himself killed. That was also to give her own thoughts some clearing.

The punch had felt better than the kiss.

••

 **A/N; Somehow I always wanted TLG to end with "Holly punched him".**

 **Taking requests for angst Drabble ideas! Please let me know in your comments, and do think about that petition :)!**


	5. Chapter 5: After the Tears of War

**A uthor's Note; HEEEEYY EVERYONE! Guess who's feeling guilty enough to update?**

 **Oh, alright, I'll give you the honest truth. My third term exams are around the corner and I have little time for anything besides studies. But I haven't updated even my chapter fics in ages and it feels like I'm letting you down...so, please do enjoy this chapter for now, and I'll come out of my hiatus on the seventeenth this month! It's a PROMISE!**

 **I'll admit that this is a shameless promotional short for The Cross Species Battle, a story that I'm now completely revising and rewriting, but here's the catch; while this particular drabble is quite sweet and heartfelt, a good deal of that fic when it comes out will not be. The final rewrites (which aren't out yet) are going to get super violent and complicated, but enjoy this lighthearted(ish) thing for now!**

 **Cheers!**

 _ **After the Tears of War**_

"You didn't honestly think I'd _die_ saving the rookie's life, did you?"

A snugly quiet stretch, a shared smile, the cold wisps of wind that plays with his hair, and hers.

Then it sinks in.

" _Artemis!_ "

A chuckle.

"I was hoping you'd misinterpret. I meant to say that no, I could not have died in that instance. There was plenty of cover even if it would be a struggle to reach."

The elf's expression of horror gives way to one of disdain, disapproval.

"Your death was not a joke, Fowl."

The sky suspended over their heads is dark grey and billows sheets of mist, but the metaphorical atmosphere certainly doesn't correspond with the physical one; the wind stings, cold and teasing, but the light of daytime is not lost and this is by no means a gloomy occasion, _even_ if their first reaction to the other had been to break into an argument.

"My _alleged_ death," Artemis rolls his eyes, ever the irritating Mud creature. "You came to that conclusion on no logical grounds."

"No logical grounds? The warehouse exploded, for Frond's sake! Did you _see_ the blast radius? Did Foaly _show_ you?"

An angry elfin finger prods at his chest at each question. Painful as it may be to his bruises, he actually forgets his side of the argument and starts laughing at each shot of pain. She is worth it. She is always worth it.

Holly ends the assault with an incredulous glare before turning in the direction of the arriving chopper. It lands with a nervous shakiness, an indication of an inexperienced pilot; and sure enough, the moment the engine is turned off, said pilot rolls right out of her seat and out onto the emerging grass of the Irish spring.

"Whoo!" she exclaims, punching the air with remarkable enthusiasm. "Let's do that again!"

The helicopter itself rocks a little in indignant disagreement, but it turns out to be the result of one dwarf's bulk exiting without much elegance.

"Never," he croaks. "In your life, elf."

Holly watches in amusement as her one-time PI partner waddles away a few meters in order to have his puking space. Once he is done, and after a little bit of the green tinge has vanished from his face, he turns in their direction with a wobbly smile.

"Yer alive," he waves a greeting to the human standing a few feet beside her. "Goody. I thought I'd have to endure Captain Short's bawling for the rest of my life."

Holly is quick to scowl and wish he was in kicking-distance. "Watch what you say, dwarf."

Artemis, despite the threat to his other friend's safety, smirks a self-indulgent smirk. "Why, I wouldn't hold this against you, Holly."

Holly gives him another glare like ice. Still not over the death thing, then. "Stow it, you. Diggums, how many hours till Foaly sends a shuttle?"

"We have some time till they sort this mess out," replies the dwarf. "That's why he sent ol' Mulch over here, to deliver the very good news that we have new human allies because of Mud Boy here saving Mr Cash-"

"The Secretary General of the UN," corrects Artemis, only slightly irked. "But Zidan's forces are still strong, and something tells me they won't wait long to strike again."

Holly sighs, then she places two fingers on his forearm. He feels electricity at the touch, but gives no indication of it. "We thought you were dead after the warehouse," she says, a little gently, worry for the first time touching her eyes. "You're turning up now after days. _Days_ , Artemis. You didn't answer me earlier. What took you so long?"

Artemis sighs. "Establishing a line of communication to reach under the Earth's crust in the middle of nowhere is not easy."

"Is that an apology?"

" _Must_ I apologize for dying?"

"Is that even a question?"

A rough and unnecessarily loud cough interrupts their firing of shots.

"Please, kids," the dwarf walks over and pushes them apart with no regards as to how bad his vomit-wiped sleeves smell. "This is not the time to get at each other's throats. Young eyes are watching."

Holly is about to object to the stench, but then said young eyes make their presence known.

"I'm not _young_!"

Holly sighs again. "Who told you to fly, Piper?"

The junior officer stays where she is, even though it means speaking a little louder to cover the distance. "Foaly did. Someone had to make sure the convict didn't escape, and the other option was Grub."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"Foaly did good."

By now forgotten, Artemis taps her on the shoulder. "Captain Short, if I may. Foaly needs to be warned now that there are some...enemies within our group of newly acquired allies. There are a few individuals who have not been affiliated to the UN long enough. More specifically, not since before the war started. I believe Zidan may have planted his informats."

Holly lifts her visor to look her friend in the eyes. "Foaly knows, Artemis. He's not as unintelligent compared to you as you think."

The human smirked. "Ah, but does he have a specific list of the individuals who _are_ allied to Zidan without a shadow of doubt? That database is not one Foaly can hack."

Holly eyes him for a while longer and the penny drops.

"You took this long to call us because you were...hacking."

A smile dances on the edges of his lips. "Correct."

"In the middle of nowhere."

"With a computer from an abandoned gas station, yes."

She uses her on-wrist communicator to tell the centaur to call before the conference, but her attentions are soon focused back on the human. The sky is darker over them now; the atmosphere, however, is not. They're done going at each other's throats and she's ready to understand what he has to say.

"What do you want, Artemis?"

It's the question that he wants to answer, but there are young eyes watching.

"Holly," he murmurs, gaze directed at where the pilot and the dwarf seemed to have gotten close to a fistfight about who'd fly the chopper back home.

Now she is concerned. His tone worries her. Artemis Fowl never sounded so...unfocused. So off-guard.

"D'Arvit, Fowl, spit it out already."

The human doesn't reply, and closes his eyes.

"Artemis?"

"I don't doubt the war will flare up again," his voice is clear, his tone cool and collected like the air of Irish spring. "And when it does, Holly, I want you...I want you to stop seeing me as a friend. This act has to be perfect."

The elf's jaw drops, down to the rich brown earth. For a painful eternity she cannot say, or do, anything.

She slowly recovers.

"You...you...can't."

"And yet I must."

"The People will hate you!"

"Only momentarily."

Holly stares at him like he's insane. Like she doesn't get just how much of sense his strategy makes.

Then she places a hand to his cheek, having started up her wings a while ago anyway in order to compensate for the height difference.

"You've changed," she mutters. "So D'Arvitting much."

He only nods once.

"Artemis." Her fingers almost caress the side of his face. He looks older than when she last saw him, eight painful days ago. But her tone is stern and reveals none of this when she says,"Don't."

"It's not an option."

"The Council will have you lynched."

"They are not people who make bright decisions in the first place."

They pause a second.

"Arty..." The elf shoots a glance at their other companions, and her intentions- or her instincts, rather- become nervously clear.

Holly closes her eyes and leans in to kiss him briefly on the lips, but after the contact, her lids lift slowly and her lips linger with his. Artemis's own mismatched eyes are not exceptionally wide with surprise; he'd had a short warning of what was coming. But still his breaths are short and fast.

"Thank you," she manages. There are stupid involuntary tears forming in her eyes.

The elf breaks their proximity, gently pushing herself away so they'd have the earlier distance between them.

"Holly!" Mulch yells from across the grounds. The elf turns to his call.

"Can we get going? Please? We got the Mud Boy."

 _He sounds desperate_ , Holly muses, if only to focus her mind once again on clear thought. _Maybe he realized that Piper flies a lot slower than if I took the controls._

"Keep your bum-flap on," she calls, before shooting a meaningful glance her human companion's way.

Artemis nods, but she can only barely make out the hint of the pained smile on his face.

Holly doesn't control her urge to grin wickedly; in a completely impossible turn of events, she had rendered Artemis Fowl _shy_.

 **A/N;**

 **And there we have it! Please leave a review- and I'll see you on the seventeenth! :D**


	6. Chapter 6: A Change of Approach

**Chapter Six: A Change of Approach**

 _•Post TLG•_

The old flats loomed broodingly, sadly over the littered streets of one of Haven's neglected residential areas, a branch of the main road that stretched so far in that it lost the distinct tinge of civilization and started to warp into a kind of ghost town. There were the flats, takeaway joints, an electrical repair shop and a single run-down salon that very few frequented- the neighbourhood was an entirely different world from the advancing metropolis that represented Haven City.

Holly Short tried the main door to her building and most _unsurprisingly_ , found it jammed again.

She heaved at it, tried to batter it in with her shoulder and only received an ache for her efforts. She scowled at the synthetic wooden door. "D'Arvit to you, too," she said, and aimed a kick that yielded results.

"D'Arvit," she muttered, noticing at once the irreversible damage she'd done to the hinges. She surveyed the claustrophobic staircase landing that it opened up to. Lights off, lifeless. She supposed propping the door up as if nothing had happened would be okay, for tonight.

The broken door was the only reason she kept her footsteps quiet as she marched up the stairs. She wanted to be stomping the floor. Hammering it with her boots like this whole ordeal was its fault. No waking up the landlord, though. Not with the condition she'd left the common door in.

Holly made it to her flat and collapsed on the sofa as soon as she'd locked her own door for privacy.

She glared long and hard at the ceiling, as long as an elf's eyes could normally strain, before the pressure around her eyeballs came into play and tears collected in her lids.

She blinked rapidly to let them flow.

At least this way she had something _else_ to blame for her wrecked state, even if it would never hold up under scrutiny.

"Stupid D'Arvitting Mud Boy," she heard herself mutter, and she was almost horrified to hear her breath come in shudders, sharp intakes.

 _You know what? D'Arvit to this. D'Arvit to everything._

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ ," Holly craned her neck back against the armrest. More tears now. Her eyes stung and she was willing to bet they were turning red. Her voice was shakier, anerobic. "Thought you'd D'Arvitting _die_ on me. You utter moron, you...you..."

There were words trembling under her lips but she couldn't utter any of them. Holly Short didn't normally have a problem with profanity where it was justified. But however much she wanted to say it, however much she _had_ to, in this instance it just wasn't _right_.

"You idiot," she settled quietly, before turning uncomfortably on her side and burying her face in the rough, rugged fabric that was her sofa. It scratched at her face and caused enough friction to stop the tears in their steady flow. She would wake up to a red face in the morning. Damn sofa. Damn the coarse fabric, the insufferable stench...

Her nose twitched against the rough covers and realized that while the sofa had always been coarse and scratchy, it had never _smelt_ this bad.

Groggily Holly pushed herself up on her elbows and frowned through her tears at the cushions. Her nose twitched again, on instinct. Her red eyes started to focus.

Cautiously she pushed herself up, back to her feet on the ground. The last of the tears were gone now. Her senses were on high alert. She darted glances in every direction of the room.

Holly noiselessly reached for the blaster still slung at her hip and seamlessly made her way across the small living room. There were only two other places besides- her bedroom, behind a door, and the pitiful kitchen that had been provided with the flat– she could hear noises now coming from one specific direction.

Guttural sounds, slurping, clanging. The intruder was giving up all discretion, and the various sounds were growing louder.

 _If it's a thief_ , Holly internally snorted. _Pretty brilliant thief_.

Deciding she wasn't going to bother with discretion either, she turned around the entrance of the kitchen and extended her blaster arm out in the direction of the fridge.

"Game's up," she declared unceremoniously.

The intruder, a dwarf whose back was covered completely under several layers of tunneling clothes, slowly pulled back from inside her fridge and balanced on the chair he was standing on. He took his sweet time finishing off a carton Holly had been meaning to get rid of because of its expiry, poured in the very last drop, and casually tossed the empty box aside onto an alarmingly large pile of empty boxes.

Holly glimpsed the unconcerned face of her intruder and audibly groaned.

"What the hell, Mulch?"

It was as nice as greetings went with your burglars.

Mulch hopped down from the chair, slamming the fridge shut behind him. He didn't look at all apologetic. He _did_ look, Holly noticed with a mental eyebrow-raise, a little irate.

"You and I have some serious business to discuss," he jabbed a finger at her chest accusingly. "Would you prefer we discuss it in the kitchen, or...?"

"Who let you in? _How_ did you get in?"

Mulch snorted, woefully unimpressed. "Your security code was obvious, darling. It's another matter we have to discuss, but later. There are more _pressing_ things at present."

"Hence your unwelcome intrusion of my home," growled Holly. "To the living room. Take the floor."

The dwarf marched past her like one on parole and took his place on her creaky floorboards, following her with an unchallengeable stare as she also took a seat, on the sofa that already smelt like it couldn't be saved.

They stared each other down for what felt like centuries before Holly broke the stretch of silence icily.

"Well?"

Mulch guffawed. "Well what? What's up with you? Why haven't you called? Why aren't you seeing Foaly's kids? You have real crimes to answer to, officer."

Holly closed her eyes and prayed for patience. "I work for the LEP. I'm getting a promotion. I'm _busy_."

"I'm a dwarf. I'm always eating. But I find the time to stand up for you people, don't I?"

The elf shook her head, not opening her eyes because of the sudden strain these words put on her, the heart-wrenching memories they brought. "Don't," was all she managed to say.

"Don't what?" the dwarf insisted. "Bring it up? Ask you for reasons?"

"I have reasons," said Holly, opening her eyes to glare the other way. She couldn't trust herself to face him.

"I don't accept them," said Mulch. "The Holly Short I know is stronger than that."

Holly turned to face him sharply, her breath threatening to catch in her throat. He _knew_. And he was still in her flat asking stupid questions that wouldn't yield honest answers.

"Yeah, well," Holly said coldly. " _That_ Holly Short didn't know loss."

Mulch sighed, shaking his head like she was being illogical. "No, she did. She'd lost everything."

Holly dropped her cold look. Her shoulders fell. "Not like this," she said quietly, looking over her shoulder, digging her chin into her fist and clenching her teeth against the way her cheeks stung with the tears that threatened to spill again.

"Holly, I know it feels like we've lost a friend," said Mulch calmly. "But there's no point mourning someone who's eventually going to come back."

"He's not coming back," snapped Holly, looking him dead in the eyes.

Mulch dragged his hands over his face. "There wouldn't be a Fronddamn _clone_ growing in Foaly's basement if he wasn't!"

The elf was off the sofa now, standing directly before him and glowering. "The _Fronddamn clone_ is not _working!_ " she shouted. "Today...I was there today, and Foaly said that...the D'Arvitting _brain_ isn't developing, and three vital organs are _ruptured_ already, and the...the bloody thing isn't going to _work!_ "

Mulch got to his own feet, but slowly. "Holly," he shook his head. "You've got to have more faith in them. Both of them. The plan is Artemis's and it's being carried out by Foaly. If those two aren't the two biggest nerds on this planet and under it, who _would_ get it to work?"

Holly wiped off the tears like the annoying inconvenience that they were. Most part of her didn't want to accept those words, to keep shouting, to march into her bedroom and cry alone.

But she had done that too many nights already. She hadn't liked crying, but that was what she had done.

Mulch was proposing a different approach, something that he undoubtedly followed because it worked well enough for him. _He_ didn't look like an addled, deranged wreck. Hell, he didn't look like he gave a damn about their mutual friend's death.

 _Because he doesn't know what's going wrong with the clone._

 _Because he trusts the plan._

 _Because Arty's plans always work. Somehow. Even at the last moment. But they still work_.

"I hope you're right," said Holly simply.

"I'm always right," snorted Mulch, conjuring up a NutriBar slab he'd taken from the fridge earlier. "So do we have a deal? Will you quit acting like your Mud Man's not coming back?"

Holly didn't even have the energy to look annoyed, but it conveyed moderately in her voice. "First _you_ quit breaking into my flat, Diggums."

"And you will see Eeta and Rein."

"And I will play with those brats," agreed Holly resignedly.

"And call me."

"I'll...okay. On and off."

Mulch nodded, satisfied with the deal. He turned to head for the door, but he paused momentarily as a thought occurred to him.

"If you ever hear bad news about the clone or anything," he offered carefully. "I'm available, you know. It's...easier with friends."

Holly pressed her lips tight together, but nodded. Just twice.

Mulch didn't linger for long, and closed the door behind him when he left, leaving her to her previous isolation.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The biggest nerds on the planet were working on it. There would be blips, definitely, but was it going to fail?

 _No,_ she thought, and for a split second she saw the flash of a vampire grin that promised sweet, delectable victory. _Never._

 _Do you trust me, Holly?_

 _I do. More than anyone._

In her vision Artemis looked the smug, annoying brat he always was, but aged by the adventures past, beautiful.

 _Then trust that my plan is going to work._

"Alright, Mud Whelp," Holly relented, trying and failing to sound annoyed. "I'll take that approach."


End file.
